Sunday, 1 March 2015

Finally he arrived at the town. He crossed the road, took a
taxi and as he just started, the grey morning becomes bright. More blue and
more sunny. Now, that’s the charm of love you see! Yes, today is the day he
will meet her- after a long, long one year. He comes for a short vacation
almost always at this time. Days would
just whiz by, he thought as he sits tight and firm on the taxi seat, looking
here and there. Happiness peeped out behind the gooseberry tree and waved at
him. He waved back. “She said, come in
green”, he thought and smile crossed his face. Smile crossed my face too. The
clean shaved, smart and bright ‘he’ is
wearing a green kurta today for her. A green, very unique- say like the colour
of a new leaf. Refreshing and eye-soothing.
Love and longing oozing out from his eyes as he more approaches towards
the city.

She woke up from her bed. Put off the fan. The typical
clatter of the fan, whirling in ‘point –one’ speed gave her company throughout
last night. The sleepless night when she counted each second to see the day
break. To see him. ” He must have arrived”- the first thing came to her mind as
she opens her eyes. She hurried to get ready, excitement tucked to her leap. She opened the cupboard, ruffled through the
sarees grey, ash and brown and pulled out the red saree. No, not red, it’s
orange. Mmmm nah, not even orange it’s
reddish. It’s actually a strange colour- a mélange of orange and red may be. "I want to see you in red"-he said before coming. And yes before closing the cupboard she pulled out all the sarees she raffled
through- the grey, ash, brown and throwed them in the laundry box; putting on a
mischievous smile on her face. She is looking divine in that
not-so-red-not-so-orange saree. The drop
dead gorgeous checked herself for the last time in the mirror and hurried off.
Butterfly danced in her stomach as she shut the door of the yellow vehicle.

Are you now wondering who am I? I am just a mere office goer
, stuck in a traffic jam in a red light. I have seen him there on the opposite
side of my road. Signal turned green and I went off. I again got stuck a few minutes later in
another red light and I caught a glimpse of her. I know both of them dearly.
Both are my favourite and close; just like a nostalgic childhood tune.

In the afternoon while coming back from office, I again
caught them. Now they met. They hugged each other. Red got over green and the
green got over red and they became one. They kissed each other, long , deep and
passionate. Strangely, one invisible
cuckoo played the love tune relentlessly as if somebody has given him a duty. “Perfect
love birds, I am so happy for you, happy that you finally met. Stay in love,
stay young, stay green”- I whispered to myself.

A passer by young boy came towards me and said- “ Didi I am
waiting for the full moon to come. I will spread colours red, green, yellow,
pink, violet and blue. When will it come?”

‘He’- we call him by the name ‘Spring’ and a pet name ‘Bawshonto’
and ‘She’- we call her ‘Kolkata’ affectionately.

Monday, 26 May 2014

2 AM at night. I got out of bed for wash room, sweat-soaked. Remember those 90's summer nights when "load-shedding” after or at the time of dinner was compulsion and if the current used to come back before we go to bed, the "yayy" scream used to be unfailingly louder than it was to be for India's victory over Pakistan! I got out of my room dozily. A vague hint of light from the drawing room called for vigilance.Eyes half opened, I could see a shadow on the wall- a stooping silhouette. Blood ran cold, I took some time to fathom and muster the courage to step forward.

Baba- completing my biology practical drawings (homework) in the faint light of the lantern. I went to sleep at eleven that night when he was not even back home from office. I didn’t know when he returned, when he had dinner; what I knew for sure was that I need to follow the way he is. Doused in sweat, he was relentless with his drawing. He couldn’t see me. I silently gleaned ‘commitment’, 'diligence', 'care' that he scattered all over the room and reposited them safely in my pocket and came out of the room.

Yes, Baba, my father, the first man of my life is the one who flashes in my mind when you ask about my role model. Platitude? Yes it is but true. Some things never get clichéd and even if they, they are just nice to be so.

Baba used to do a special puja on my exam days and used to give me ‘thakur-er phool’ (flower that he offered to the God) every time and the same special puja used to happen when our sweeper’s son, phoolwali’s( the one who sells flower) son, fish-wala’s daughter used to give exams and the same ‘thakur-er phool’ used to reach to them before they enter the examination hall! And when the result-day would come, I had seen the same tension in his face that he had on my result day. I have never seen such a bleeding heart all through my life of 30years and now you know the reason enough of he being my superstar! Again I gathered the meaning of ‘Love’, ‘altruism’ and ‘open mind-ness’ that were heaped here and there around him. Safely pocketed.

The man who doesn’t yet know the meaning of complain, the one who himself would define the word’ Endurance’, the one who is always ready to tailor himself for other’s need is ‘the man of steel’ of my life who for sure would be stealing your heart away even in the first meet and would leave you still in awe.

One day, I brought out all the things I gathered in my pocket in a desire to acquire all of them together; I stitched them altogether. I stitched Love with commitment and diligence with endurance and care with selflessness and when done; voila!! it tooks an image which looks like BABA!! I realised I can’t acquire all those he has, I can only learn and still learning, every moment. Take a bow, Baba!!

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

I often muse on the fact that a house never gets lifeless and very surprisingly,when humans leave it one by one;the greeny creatures creep in.I don’t know the names of the herbs my house now got surrounded by, but their roots are deep in.I feel peace to see the house,still breathing.

What would be the name of the mall you will make out of this house?See,I am here,sitting on your childhood study-chair.Did you notice it?Do you remember?How I longed to see, how you look like being a ‘man’!I am so happy today.Sometimes life can’t give you what death can.

Love-Baba

P.S.- Written for www.100wordstory.org for a 100 word story contest where this above picture was the prompt given for the story.

Monday, 7 April 2014

"Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left
open."-- I have a very weird habit of always search and read quotes about
almost everything there could be. I found this one same way.

Case 1

It was morning flight from Kolkata to Delhi. I usually have acute morning
sickness and thus am sick to death of morning flights. Only 2hours of sleep and
then the screeching sound of the alarm clock saying its 4 minutes past 4AM. This
less-sleeping-business usually brings in migraine pain, followed by nauseated
feeling all the time. I locked the door and stepped out of my flat
premises.Believe me, it was the murkiest morning I have ever seen. I was taking
brisk steps towards Gariahat More to get the cab. Waiting and looking for the
cab here and there my eyes caught a story lying on the footpath. A small
boy,may be 6-7years old covering her mother with a crummy saree ( saree used as
blanket).The babyish hand took out another one to make sure his mother is warm enough!!
The elder sister(not more than 8years) on the other hand is sitting near her
mother and putting "Jolpotti" (cold water soaked cloth) on the
forehead.

With the hard lump in my throat, I caught the cab, leaned over the
cushioned seat and closed my eyes......Isn't my headache a bit lesser?? Isn't
the breeze gushing over my face and hairs a bit more fresh?? And no......I am
no more nauseatic...Thus begins my Diwali -trip to Delhi.... :-)

Case 2

Flight was at 7:10 AM. I was done with my security check and was sitting
on the sofa in front of Gate No.1. Something in between happened which was
getting me very down. To shove off the blue mood, I thought to resort on
'Hemlock' music and thus searching for my earphone in my purse and suddenly "kotobar
tor aayna bhenge chure, ghure takai....." from behind and then a male
voice-" hello, hya ma, bolo..." I looked back and couldn't stopped
myself giving out a smile.He smiled back.
"Here is a final call for Flight No:0673 going to Delhi" I pulled
myself off from the sofa and to my awe, I realised I was smiling till
then...relentlessly. Thus I was happy and don't remember exactly why I was not few minutes
back.

Case 3

The Delhi Airport. Period.

Case 4

This time nobody is waiting outside to pick me up to home. I will be
travelling all alone in a not-so-safe-for-ladies city. But I had hundred of
butterflies in my stomach by this "all-alone-ness" both because I was
nervous and excited. Sometimes, it feels so good to be alone, no??
As I came out of Airport and was giving cynical look here and there-"
Madamji, kaha jana hai aapko?" A boy in his early 20s came in front of me.
I said-"Rohini, Sector-15"
I sat inside the car falteringly.
D- " Sector -15 mein kaha?"
Me- "Sachdeva School ke pass" (with an expression 'I am Queen of
Delhi and I know every corner of the city')
D-"School jana hain?Mujhe to school pata nehin"
Me-"Koi baat nehin, mujhe to Ghar jana hain"
He laughed.
Me-"Yeh kaunsa jagah hain bhaiya?"
D-"Airport"
Me-"Wo to thik hain, lekin koi naam to hoga is jagah ka, jaise humare
udhar, DumDum mein hain Airport"
D-"DumDum, ye kaisa naam hai?"(laughing)
Me-" Kyun, achcha nehin hain kya, has kyun rahe hain?...achcha abhi kaha
aye?"
D-"Delhi Cantonment Area"
Me-"Ye kya South Delhi hain?"
D-"Nehin, South-West"
Me-"Tab to Rohini zyaada dur nehin hain, Rohini to West mein hain maine
suna hain,aap bas south se niklo, West pahuch jayenge"
He laughed.Me too.
D-"Aap office ke kaam mein aayi hain?"
Me-"Nehin saasuural(double stress) aayi hun" (expression-Proud face)
D- "Madhuban chowk se jaun, raasta kaunsa lena hain?"
Me-"Na na Pitampura se jaana Wajirpur hoke" (no idea where these
places are these are the two names I remembered,just a show off,you know)
Me-"Areey idhar to mela laga hua hai, kaunsa jagah hain?"
D-"Hmm, Diwali Mela"
Me-"Haan haan, pata hai har saalhi to lagta hain"
(expression-I-know-all")
D-"Yeh Raja Garden hain"
Me-"Haan, Rajouri Garden bhi bolta hain, kaafi bar aa chuki hu idhar
to" (trust me I was tehre just once for one day due to some office work
and the only thing which I knew about the place was the name 'Rajouri Garden')
I finally reached Sachedeva and took a right turn and reached home.Way to home
from airport was never ever so exciting as this and the city Delhi never been
felt soo known and own before...
Me-"Bas, yehi pe rok do"
He came down and opened the door for me."Thank You, Bhaiya" I said. I
took out 20 Rs. note from my purse.."Yeh aap rakkho".. He stepped
back a little-"Nehin ji, baas...thank you"!!! He took his seat again
and drove away..............
I kept on standing at the same place till I can take the last glimpse of the
cab.
I crossed the road and walked towards home, persistent smile again on face....
Pure happiness!!!

Case 5 A lonesome morning. I was upset for some reason. I went to bathroom for
a bath and switched on the geyser lackadaisically. The red light goes off in a
minute and signaled the water is hot now. I reached out to put off the geyser
and something caught my eye.....on the switchboard. I had a jolt. Few minutes
of awstruckness!!! I found a big round maroon bindi sticked on the switched
board. How would you feel in a forlorn morning, almost 1600km away from your
home if u find "ma-er tip" remaining just the same way she had put it
there randomly almost 5yrs back when she last came to this house??? I touched
it once as if I have got her there as person.
Eyes burning, I opened the tap to its fullest as if that’s the only way to stop
me from burst-out- loud!!............
I never knew tears can also be euphoric!!!!!......

Case 6

Flight from Delhi to Kolkata got delayed by 3 hours. Tired and exhausted
I came out of Airport and the same old, known typical smell of my city
(whichgives fthe samefeeling as 'ma-er gondho'-mother's smell) and happiness
prevails all around! and then the 'dhaaker awaj' for the kalipujo
bhashan...gloom has just no place in my life anymore!!

Case 7

I took the volvo bus from Airport to Gariahat and stretched myself in a
window seat. I was bugged up with the nagging earphone which always has to get
entwined in the most complex form.After almost 5mins I finally got to switch on the radio and
voila!!!!!!!!!!..... "Tor barir pothe juktir shoinyo"!!!!!!

I started afresh from exactly where I left my city!!!!!............. :-)
The trip to Delhi comes to an end- Happy And Content!!!